Congress in no hurry to form an alliance with CPM in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: Notwithstanding CPM’s West Bengal brass betraying its impatience for an alliance with the Congress against Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in the upcoming assembly elections, the AICC is in no hurry to reciprocate the Marxist party unit’s zealous courting. This has left the CPM central leadership in an awkward situation as its Bengal comrades’ expression of love for Congress has embarrassed the party’s Kerala unit amid its electoral war-cry against the Congress-led UDF in the state.

The CPM central leadership issued a clarification on Sunday: “The CPM’s electoral tactics will be in accordance with the political-tactical line adopted at its 21st Party Congress. The Polit Bureau and the Central Committee will take a decision at an appropriate time regarding electoral tactics in each of these states”. While theoretically the so-called “politicaltactical line” is against “any direct alliance with Congress,” it is well known that the electoral practitioners in Bengal CPM leadership have little patience with theoretical outlook of AKG Bhawan, which has to deal with not only the Kerala Marxists’ counter-push but also to try and shield itself against jibes of finally aping the SA Dange line (of Communist-Congress tactical alliance) in the time of desperation.

Bengal CPM’s desire to ink an alliance with Congress is primarily borne out of the Marxists’ fear of further marginalisation in the next assembly polls. But, despite Budhadeb Bhattacharya’s and Suryakanta Mishras’ alliance appeal, many senior Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary in-charge of West Begal CP Joshi, maintained that Congress was not rushing to hug the Bengal Marxists and that the party would take its electoral decision only at the ‘right time.’

Yet, there is glee in AICC. “It is gratifying to see the same CPM, which ruled Bengal for 34 consecutive years by fuelling anti-Congress politics, is now reaching out to us for an alliance. It shows how just one electoral defeat could make CPM warm up to Congress,” said an AICC functionary.

Congress sources said while the Bengal CPM has been working on some state Congress leaders for lobbying with the high command for an alliance between the two parties, there also a larger sections in the Bengal Congress that advocate the need to fight the Trinamool and CPM alike. While the state Congress is unlikely to gain beyond its North Bengal pockets, these Congress leaders think a further decline of CPM could “at least offer the Congress new areas for revival.” Another factor that engages the AICC thinking is the need to ensure a better floorcoordination in Parliament on common issues with Trinamool, which is a bigger force than the Left.